Bangalore metro gets Cabinet nod

The Cabinet today approved the Rs 5,453-crore Bangalore metro rail project, which is to run over a distance of 33 km.

The project, to be completed by 2011, will have two corridors and 70 per cent of its cost would be financed through debt, a government spokesperson said.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which also met today, cleared proposals for increasing coal production of two open-cast projects in Chhattisgarh by 15 million tonnes annually.

For the Dipka open-cast project, linked to NTPC's Seepat Super Thermal Power, approval has been given for floating tenders for production of an additional 5 million tonnes of coal per year by surface miner. With this, production will increase to 25 million tonnes per annum.

The other open-cast mine, Gevra Opencast project linked to NTPC's Korba plant, has been given a go-ahead for issuing tenders for outsourcing mining of an additional 10 million tonnes of coal per annum.

The production will thus go up to 35 million tonnes a year. The additional coal will be used for neighbouring power plants and the power sector.

The Cabinet also cleared an air service agreement between India and New Zealand, allowing Indian private carriers to fly to New Zealand.

It also gave the green signal for signing of an agreement on cooperation in tourism between India and Fiji and signing of a memorandum of understanding between India and Panama on maritime trade.

The Cabinet further approved extension of the term of the R S Pathak inquiry authority, conducting a probe into the Volcker report, by three months to August.